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Spinal Cord Stimulation and Your Imaging Options

When it comes to your healthcare, knowing your options is important. That's why we've put together some information we think you'll find useful, all with the goal of helping you make the right decisions.

The Role of Imaging in SCS

With SCS, there are numerous imaging options available to meet your needs. While you may need a medical image in your future, it will not treat your pain. Remember, the number-one goal of SCS is to provide effective pain relief.

What the Experts Have to Say

Boston Scientific reached out to experts to help give you more perspective when it comes to SCS and imaging.

"For virtually any indication and any part of the body, there are multiple imaging options available."

Dr. Garry Gold

Professor of Radiology at Stanford, Fellow of the International Society for Magnetic Resonance in Medicine

"When it comes to SCS, needing an image or MRI is only part of your healthcare management. After all, imaging does not treat your chronic pain."

Dr. Thomas Simopoulos

Director of Interventional Pain Service, Assistant Professor of Anesthesia at Harvard Medical School

Dr. Garry Gold

Professor of Radiology at Stanford, Fellow of the International Society for Magnetic Resonance in Medicine

Dr. Thomas Simopoulos

Director of Interventional Pain Service, Assistant Professor of Anesthesia at Harvard Medical School

2) Patients implanted with the Precision Montage™ MRI or Precision Spectra™ Spinal Cord Stimulator System with ImageReady™ MRI Technology are "MR Conditional" only when exposed to the MRI environment under the specific conditions defined in the ImageReady MRI Full Body Guidelines for Precision Montage™ MRI Spinal Cord Stimulator System and ImageReady MRI Guidelines for Precision Spectra Spinal Cord Stimulator System Manual (Head Only MRI scans). The Precision Montage MRI SCS System provides safe access to Full-Body MRI Scans only when used with the Avista MRI Leads and exposed to the MRI environment under the specific conditions defined in the ImageReady MRI Full Body Guidelines for Precision Montage™ MRI Spinal Cord Stimulator System.

Dr. Gold
Questions

Dr. Gold: The choice of which SCS system to implant should be made on the basis of what best treats the patient’s chronic pain. As a radiologist, my job is to find the best available and appropriate imaging to get the diagnosis that the patient may need at some point in the future.

Dr. Simopoulos: The need for MRI compatibility is a small problem that is likely to have little impact in the vast majority of chronic pain patients. The real need is to make SCS work better for patients so it’s easy for them to control their chronic pain.